Heading Home
by CleoArrow
Summary: Beast Boy receives an unexpected visit from his adoptive father with a horrible message; Elasti-girl has fallen sick and may be dying. Beast Boy will be forced to choose between rejoining the Doom Patrol or staying with the Teen Titans. BB/Rae
1. A Surprise Guest

**Welcome to Heading Home! Normally I would have a posted a poll to decide what story was next, but I have so many ideas for this one that I want to write it before I forget everything. My updates will also be more consistent than in my last FanFiction piece, probably every week to every two weeks.**

**The time is after Trouble in Tokyo. I hope you enjoy!**

* * *

><p>"Friends! Robin and I are journeying to the mall of shopping!" Starfire announced to the ops room. The three Titans occupying the space took a pause in their activities to address their alien teammate. Standing on top of the stairs in front of the exit, Starfire wore a big smile. Robin stood behind her, his mouth slanted to the side. It was a look many of the Titans had worn before; an expression that said the bearer didn't want to be dragged to the mall by Starfire but also didn't want to hurt the girl's feelings by denying such a request. In the kitchen eating lunch, Cyborg and Beast Boy both chuckled.<p>

"Have fun!" Cyborg called, wiping sauce from his mouth with a large napkin. "Especially you, Rob," he added with a mischievous smirk. "Make sure to pick out somethin' for him to wear, Starfire. He needs a wardrobe that's more than just traffic light colors." Robin glared at the robotic teenager, but, much to his dismay, Starfire seemed to love the idea.

"I will make certain to do so, friend Cyborg!" she exclaimed, smiling brightly. "I look forward to doing the shopping with Robin! Perhaps you wish to join us?"

Cyborg swallowed the last of his lunch quickly. "Ah… No thanks, Star. I gotta drop by the auto shop to pick up a few things for my baby. The T-car's not runnin' as smoothly as I'd like her to."

Robin crossed his arms, lifting an eyebrow. "You sure, Cyborg? We could pick out a new wardrobe for you if you came with us."

Shaking his head, Cyborg placed his dirtied plate in the sink and twisted on the tap. "Sorry man, but my car needs me. Don't think anythin' in the stores'd fit anyway; have fun shoppin' _all alone _with Star though," he winked. Robin scowled at his robotic teammate as a blush spread over his cheeks.

Starfire was unaware of this as she directed her attention to the next Titan in sight. "Perhaps Beast Boy would like to join us? Or Raven?" she asked, turning to the couch where the dark girl relaxed with a book in her hand.

"Uh, yeah," Beast Boy replied, hopping over the sofa and snatching up one of his game controllers. "I would come, but I've been stuck on this really hard level, and, you know, I, uh, really want to beat it." Starfire nodded in understanding before looking to the empath sitting nearby.

"Pass," Raven replied, her nose in the pages. "I'm currently busy."

Starfire smiled sadly. "Are you certain, friends? I have ideas for outfits which you might wish to try on!"

Raven sighed, glancing at her teammate. "Let's see," she murmured to herself. "Do I want to go shopping and be forced into clothes I could care less about, or stay here in the company of Beast Boy?" She paused, frowning. "This is a surprisingly difficult choice." His sharp ears having picked up her words, Beast Boy pouted, starting the game station, and Raven shook her head. "Thanks, but no thanks, Starfire." The scarlet-haired girl dropped her chin to her chest, and Raven felt a wave of guilt wash over her. "But I'm sure you'll have a great time with Robin trying on all those dresses and clothes and… such. Maybe you two could go drop by the movie theater together or something once you're done," she suggested. Starfire instantly brightened at the idea. Luckily for Raven, any mention of spending time alone with Robin could pull the alien princess out of a depressed or saddened state in a heartbeat.

"Wondrous idea, Raven! Robin, perhaps you would be interested in attending a movie after the mall of shopping?"

Robin blinked a few times. "U-uh, sure, Star. Sounds fun."

"Glorious!" With that, Starfire grabbed Robin by the arm and pulled the flushed leader out of the ops room. Smirking, Raven went back to her book as Cyborg finished washing his plate at the sink. The robotic man slid the drying dish into a cabinet, calling to Raven and Beast Boy over his shoulder.

"Yo, you two! I'm off to the auto shop! If you need anything, just call on the communicator!" Raven didn't respond, and Beast Boy, already indulged in his video game, waved his hand. Cyborg, shrugging, exited the room and left Raven and Beast Boy to do their activities alone. No doubt the time that passed would elapse in silence, what with Beast Boy focused completely on his game and Raven ignoring the teenager unless he got too loud, which she then would either comment some sarcastic remark and smack him over the head when the shape-shifter didn't respond, or she would simply leave the room to go meditate. Cyborg assumed this was what happened every time those two were left alone, and for the most part, he was right. On the off chance that Raven and Beast Boy did something else, it was usually argue or, every once in a while, they would try to converse. In rare cases, they would actually have a heart-to-heart, however brief it would be.

Ten minutes since Cyborg claimed he was heading out had passed without a sound -save for the occasional explosion of a car from the television screen-, when Beast Boy suddenly sat up, his ears perked. Pausing the game, he looked over his shoulder at the empty room and frowned, his nose wrinkling in confusion. "Hey," he asked, "when did Cyborg leave?"

"Ten minutes ago," Raven replied, not looking up from her book. "He announced it in an unnecessarily loud tone to make sure we knew about his absence. Where were you?"

Beast Boy scratched his head. "I'm not sure." Raven rolled her eyes, flipping a page in her book. Another silence followed for a quick stretch of time, and Beast Boy bit his lip. The racing game he was currently playing had lost his interest -especially since he kept crashing the car-, he was getting bored, and Raven didn't seem too occupied. Powering down the game station, Beast Boy set his feet on the table in front of him and crossed his arms behind his head, staring up at the ceiling. Quickly glancing at the girl beside him who had not moved in the least, the shape-shifter tried to strike up a conversation.

"So," he began, balancing one of his feet on top of the other, "nice weather we're having, huh?"

"Mhm," Raven grunted, her eyes fixated on the words in her book.

Beast Boy continued, looking at the cloudless sky outside. "Really… weathery, huh?"

"Mhm."

Deciding weather was mind-blowingly boring, Beast Boy searched his brain for something else to talk about with his barely responsive friend. Seeing as she was so absorbed with the thing in her hands, Beast Boy tilted his head, examining the leather-bound book Raven was reading.

"Good book?"

"Mhm."

"What's it about?"

"Mhm."

Make that his non-responsive friend. Beast Boy grumbled to himself, folding his arms together in annoyance for a moment when an idea came to him. Shifting position so he was facing Raven more, he placed his chin in his hand. "So Raven, enjoying the book you're reading?"

"Mhm."

"Would you mind if I took some of your tea and fed it to Silkie?"

"Mhm."

Beast Boy smirked. "Is it okay if I go into your room and set fire to your bookcase?"

"Mhm."

"Do you think I am devishly handsome?"

"Not on your life."

"Ah, what?!" Beast Boy scrunched up his nose as Raven finally moved away from her book to look at him with an impassive expression. "You were listening?"

"What was your first clue?"

"So why did you say I could feed your tea to Silkie? And set fire to your bookcase?"

Raven set down her book. "Because I knew you wouldn't do it. You like your head where it is."

Beast Boy rubbed his neck, swallowing. "You've got a point there." Dropping his worried look, he scooted closer to Raven, grinning. "So, now that you're not reading anymore-."

"Who said I'm not reading?" the girl interrupted, picking up her book again. "I only stopped to point out that I was listening and remind you of how foolish doing any of those things you suggested is." She had only turned to the page where she'd left off when two gloved fingers plucked the book from her hands, tossing the object over the couch where it landed with a soft thud. Raven glared daggers at Beast Boy, but the boy gave no indication that he was worried. Only when Raven's hand glowed black did the shape-shifter realized he might have pushed her a little far. Encased in black magic, the book elevated into the air and over to the sofa, pausing to rap Beast Boy on the head twice before sinking safely back into Raven's hands.

Beast Boy kneaded the newly-forming bump for a moment until the pain faded, and then he glanced at Raven. "So," he started again, "now that you're not reading anymore..." Raven sighed, and, placing her book on her lap and crossing her arms, she waited expectantly for Beast Boy to finish. Maybe if she gave him the attention he wanted now, she would be left alone to read in peace afterwards. Beast Boy brightened, a smile spreading across his face as he realized Raven was going to cooperate. "…Wanna do something?"

"Do you have anything in mind?"

"Uh," Beast Boy hesitated. "No…" Raven exhaled, picking up her book again. That was about as far as her patience was going to stretch today. "But- no, wait!" Beast Boy exclaimed, seeing she was disregarding him again. "Dude! Raven, come on! I'm so _bored! _Do something with me!_"_

"Once you have an actual idea in mind, then I'll listen. _Maybe_," she stressed, finding the place where she'd left off in her book. Beast Boy whined, dropping his ears, but when Raven responded by simply flipping a page, the shape-shifter decided that he should find something to do if he really wanted to engage in an activity with his teammate. Glancing around the room, Beast Boy searched for an object of entertainment. His eyes zoned in on the computer nearby, and, jumping off of the sofa, the boy searched _'things to do with other people when I'm bored'._ A few minutes later, Beast Boy returned, proudly prepared to list off the suggestions he had for a game. Raven lifted her eyes up from the book.

"Yes?"

Beast Boy grinned, flashing his canine tooth at her. "Okay, so how about… Truth or Dare?!"

Raven stared at him in disbelief. "It took you _that_ long to come up with that? Please tell me it's not the only idea you have."

"Um, no," Beast Boy said, somewhat disheartened by Raven's lack of enthusiasm. He hadn't expected her to jump up on the couch and exclaim that they should play Truth or Dare because it was her favorite game in the whole wide world, but at least some consideration would have been appreciated. "Okay, if you don't want Truth or Dare, then how about… karaoke?"

Raven's forehead wrinkled as she cringed at the idea.

"Then, um…" Beast Boy ran over things he'd read online, and spin the bottle flashed through his mind. Wisely, however, he chose not to bring that up lest he wish for another bump on the head. The boy ran a hand through his green hair. "Um… monopoly? Cards?"

Raven pinched the bridge of her nose between her thumb and forefinger. "Listen Beast Boy; how about you just watch T.V. like you usually do? Obviously you have nothing specific in mind for what you are in the mood for. Why don't you leave me be to read my book in peace? Once you figure out what you want, let me know. Or better yet, don't."

Beast Boy saw nothing interesting in what the girl had just suggested, especially since there were only reruns on television during the summer. He twiddled his thumbs. "How about… we just talk a little or something?"

That stopped Raven. She turned her head to him, an incredulous expression on her face. "You are suggesting that we –you and I- have a conversation? An _intelligent _conversation?"

"Yeah!"

Raven shook her head. "You must really be bored."

"What was your first clue?" Beast Boy asked, grinning. The dark empath glared at him for a moment before sighing.

"Alright, what do you want to talk about?"

Beast Boy hesitated, and without pausing a beat, Raven reached for her book. "Wait wait wait!" Beast Boy exclaimed, waving his hands about in a _stop _motion. "Robin and Starfire! Let's talk about Robin and Starfire!"

The darker girl frowned. This supposedly "quick" conversation was drawing out longer than she had the tolerance she had to deal with it. "You propose that we talk about Robin and Starfire," she repeated. "Beast Boy, this is not some high school girl gossip session. We already know what's going on with them, and besides that, they are our friends. They don't gossip about us so we shouldn't talk about them behind their backs either."

"I-I know," Beast Boy mumbled, ashamed that he'd even though of talking about something like that. "But… You were going to read again and I couldn't think of anything else!" Raven deliberately picked up her book, flipping through it until she landed on her chosen page, and dropped her eyes back to the words. Normally Beast Boy didn't distract her so much; today must have been special. Beast Boy crossed his arms, sulking in his spot on the couch. Beside him, Raven found she was unable to concentrate due to the waves of brooding emotions the green teenager was emitting, and she tensed her shoulders, wondering if it was too late for her to catch up to Robin and Starfire. Raven was desperately hoping that something would happen for Beast Boy to become occupied once again so she could focus on her book without distraction, and she was all but prepared to exit the room altogether when the tower's doorbell rang. Beast Boy sat up curiously and then jumped to his feet, running off to answer the door. Suddenly believing in miracles, Raven settled into the couch to finally relax and enjoy her book in silence.

* * *

><p>Beast Boy approached the front door, humming a nameless tune beneath his breath. He wasn't worried about any villains being there, because, really, it made no sense for an enemy to just ring the doorbell. Whenever the tower had been under attack in the past, the bad guys broke in; they never asked for entry. "I don't think we were expecting anybody. Who would be coming here to visit the Titans?" Beast Boy pondered. "Besides all my adoring fans, I mean. Maybe Rob and Star are back!" he perked up. They'd been gone for about a half hour, but there was always the chance that Starfire had changed her mind or Robin had convinced her there were better things to do with their time. "And maybe the moon is really made of cheese," Beast Boy chuckled. There was no way that the Titan leader would be able to persuade the girl that shopping was boring and, in his opinion, pointless.<p>

"Hang on, dude!" Beast Boy called, tapping a password into the keypad by the entrance. He pressed a button, and the doors slid apart to reveal a large man standing in the opening. He was dressed in purple and black garb, his head topped off by an ovular hat that bore two violet antennas, and his mouth was a thin line.

"Hello, Beast Boy," the man greeted.

"Mento!" Beast Boy exclaimed, grinning from ear to ear at the unexpected sight of the leader of the Doom Patrol. As well as being in charge of his old team, Mento was also Beast Boy's adoptive father. The green teenager was all prepared to go in for a hug, but paused, remembering that Mento disliked displays as affection almost as much as Raven did. Instead, Beast Boy's smile just grew bigger as he scratched the back of his head. "What are you doing here?! Not that it's bad to see you or anything, but I wasn't expecting you to come by for a visit, like ever! Not that I didn't want you too, I just figured you were too busy with the team and everything. Now I can give you a tour of the tower! Hey," Beast Boy interrupted his own train of thought, peering around Mento with interest, "where's the rest of the team? Did Rita come with you?"

Mento closed his eyes briefly. "Beast Boy, I'm here to-."

Far too excited by his father's presence, Beast Boy didn't even hear him. "Oh, I gotta show you the new training course! I mean, it won't really be a change for you 'cause you've never seen it, but it's still really cool, especially since Cyborg just upgraded a bunch of stuff!" Beast Boy started to walk off, expecting Mento to follow him. "And you haven't been in our main room yet either! I gotta show you the game station! It's pre-."

"Beast Boy." Mento placed a hand on his son's shoulder, stopping the shape-shifter before he could get any further. "Though this may be extremely difficult, I need for you to stand still and listen to me for a moment."

"Yeah Mento?" Beast Boy asked, shifting from foot to foot as if he was about to go running through the tower in a tour just for the Doom Patrol leader, which he was.

Mento took a deep breath. "It's about why I'm here. As I'm sure you know, it's not like me to just drop by for a social visit." Beast Boy nodded quickly. "As you mentioned before, the rest of the team is not with me as of now. There's a reason for that." Realizing how serious the situation seemed to have suddenly become, Beast Boy stopped shifting his weight and fell still.

"Wh-what's going on, Mento?" he asked, nervous because of the older man's words. His adoptive father looked him straight on.

"Elasti-girl –your mother- is sick," Mento said. "Rita might be dying."

* * *

><p>It had been silent for quite some time since the doorbell rang, and Raven was beginning to wonder if Beast Boy had somehow gotten himself into trouble. That sounded like something he would do: cause a problem without even leaving the tower. He'd done it before, and it wouldn't surprise Raven if he managed to do it again. Either that, or Beast Boy was talking the ear off of some poor unfortunate soul at the front door. She groaned. Even when he wasn't in the same room as Raven, the green teenager had found a way to distract her from her meditative activities. With a sigh, Raven hoisted herself off of the couch, set her book on the cushion, and floated out into the hallway toward the entrance of the tower.<p>

Halfway to her destination, Raven sensed an unfamiliar presence in the building. It wasn't harsh or threatening, but, upon identifying who the visitor was, she knew that the company wasn't exactly welcome either. Understanding why Beast Boy hadn't returned to the ops room yet, Raven slowed her approach until she was just around the corner by the front. Two distinguishable voices echoed down the hall. One, Beast Boy's, sounded somewhat injured, in the very least desperate.

"What do you-? What do you mean? Why? W-what happened?" he whimpered.

A deeper, older tone reached Raven's ears. "It only happened last week, Beast Boy. We thought it was nothing, so we didn't think it important to tell you. Until two days ago, Rita was fine; she didn't act sick. We had no idea what was coming." Raven's eyes narrowed.

"You didn't think about telling me this?" Beast Boy whined. "She's my _mom_, Mento! I care about her too! And now she might be… could be…" He cut off.

"I know this is hard for you to take in right now, but there is another reason I came here. It's important." Mento paused for an intake of breath, and Raven chose to make her presence known.

"Mento," she addressed, drawing the Doom Patrol leader's attention to her. He and Beast Boy stood face to face. The bigger man towered above Beast Boy's small form, and his icy blue eyes cut through the dim lighting in the room. Beast Boy was the opposite of his adoptive father. His shoulders were slumped, eyes dull, and he looked defeated, any sign of his earlier enthusiasm gone. Upon seeing her, Beast Boy offered no reaction. Having heard what she had of the conversation, Raven could guess why.

Mento suppressed his surprise upon seeing the dark empath quickly. "Ah, Raven, correct?"

Raven barely nodded. "What are you doing here?"

Mento's stare sharpened, and he faced the empath entirely. "Am I not allowed to come by for a visit?"

"Somehow I doubt that's why you're here."

"Right." Mento dismissed her words with the turning of his head. "Well, as you can obviously see, I am in the middle of a conversation. If you don't mind giving us a minute, I will address you shortly." Raven bit her tongue. She had no idea how Beast Boy had survived near fourteen years with this man as not only a leader but a father as well. At least all the conversations she'd had with her own father had been quick, however painful they might have been.

"If you don't mind," Raven began, walking closer and surprising the two, "I'd rather stay."

"Excuse me?" Mento stated tightly. "This is a family matter."

"You don't seem to be handling it very well," she replied, her voice soft but words harsh enough to silence the older leader, if only for a moment. Mento's eyes flashed dangerously, but Raven kept eye contact. She knew she was treading dangerous ground, but the man was getting on her nerves. The last time she'd met him had been the first, as it had been for all of the Titans save for Beast Boy, and Raven had never really liked Mento, especially seeing how he was so strict and stubborn with his own son. Sure Raven could be strict and stubborn, but for the most part she knew when was appropriate to act in such a way, unlike the leader of the Doom Patrol. Remembering that her friend was still there, Raven moved away from Mento, facing Beast Boy instead. Distraught and sadness jabbed out of him like needles pricking the skin. Placing a hand on his arm, she started to guide the boy toward the ops room.

Mento clearly objected to this unapproved action. "And what do you think you are doing?" he growled, grabbing her shoulder. Raven stiffened, but before she could open her mouth and send a harsh remark his way which would undoubtedly be regretted later, footsteps padded in from outside. A familiar, joyous voice entered the room.

"Oh, friends! I did not expect you to be here!" Starfire exclaimed brightly, gliding inside through the open door. Robin followed the girl, quiet and at once attentive of the unusual company in the room. His floating alien friend, however, gave no indication that she had even taken notice of Mento, continuing in a cheerful manner. "It seems that friend Robin has forgotten his wallet and I have none of the money on me. We called Cyborg through his communicator and discovered he has found Robin's wallet in his 'baby', and so we have agreed to meet back here at the tower and be the reorganized."

"That's… nice, Star," Raven murmured.

"Why are the doors wide open?" Robin asked, his words cutting through Starfire's enthusiasm with an authoritative tone that required an answer. His voice also directed the taller girl beside him toward Mento, though Starfire seemed unsurprised by his presence. She'd probably been mindful of the Doom Patrol's company all along, staying positive to keep the situation from turning awkward, or, in this case, keeping it from increasing in intensity. Robin exchanged glances with Raven, and his eyes flickered to where her hand rested on Beast Boy's shoulder.

Mento frowned, crease lines deepening around his mouth. "You kids are stepping in on an important conversation. You obviously don't know how to treat a guest."

Robin bristled, his arms tightening closer to his body. Sure, the last time he and Mento had clashed, they'd parted on good terms, but here he was in their home telling them how to act and behave. Stepping in front of Starfire, Robin drew closer to the man. "I don't remember inviting you to our tower." Mento's scowl deepened, and the two held such cold eye contact that one could feel the temperature drop in the room.

Starfire's smile wavered, and she quickly moved in between the two leaders. "Please, friend Mento, would you tell us why you have come to visit our home?" she requested in a warm tone that melted the icy stares.

"I would rather discuss that with Beast Boy," the older man replied, but the sharpness of his tongue had been dulled by Starfire's innocent expression. He looked pointedly at the shape-shifter who had said not a word, and instantly the three teenagers shifted in front of the boy.

Robin spoke for all of them. "Anything involving Beast Boy involves us."

Mento scowled at the young leader, seeming to grow bigger, but Robin didn't withdraw his comment. As the man was temporarily distracted, Raven chose that moment to take her leave and directed Beast Boy out of the dark room before Mento noticed and objected again. Soundlessly she guided him back through the halls and into the ops room. Once there, she sat him down on the couch, her tense mood smothered by the heart-wrenching emotion that poured out of Beast Boy.

Raven watched her friend rest on the couch, his green eyes faded and set on nothing in particular. His arms were rested on his knees and his hands hung limply, while the teenager's back slumped over more and more. Raven rose to her feet. The room felt heavy and cold with Beast Boy's saddened emotions, and he needed to warm up before one of them started shivering.

"I'll get you something to drink," Raven uttered. The shape-shifter murmured a few inaudible words to let her know he'd heard, and Raven, with a quick glance in his direction, entered the kitchen. Opening a tea bag out of habit, she set about going through the motions of setting up her beverage. It was only when she'd heated the liquid and had the drink in her hand did she remember that Beast Boy disliked any and all tea. She couldn't just pour it down the sink's drain, and Beast Boy needed a hot beverage. With a sigh, Raven grabbed a spoon, took three heaping scoops of sugar, dumped it into the tea –an action she never used-, and stirred.

"Here." Beast Boy looked up to find the mug held out to him, a spiral of steam rising from the top. Raven waited, through the vapor her indigo eyes almost soft and misty. The green shape-shifter took the tea from his teammate and sipped on it. He made a face, but quickly covered up his reaction with a cough.

"Uh, um, thanks Rae," he said, running his tongue over his lips. The mixture of the heat and unexpected taste had been enough to pull a response out of him. "But next time use some sugar."

Raven rolled her eyes. "If I used more, we wouldn't have any left."

Beast Boy rubbed his nose, sipping at the tea again and then once more making a face. "Really? I wouldn't have guessed."

"Really."

The two smiled at one another, both relieved that things seemed -even if it was just temporarily- back to normal. Raven lowered herself onto the sofa beside her friend as Beast Boy dropped his sights to his feet. "Hey, thanks. For, you know, that whole thing with Mento and coming when you did."

Her expression lessened, and, breathing outward, she stated impassively, "I'm not involved and shouldn't have intruded. It's not my business."

"Yeah, but, you know, I'm glad you did." Beast Boy fiddled with the mug in his hands. "So… How much did you hear?" Raven wasn't surprised. With the ears her friend had, it was to be expected that he heard her approaching during his and Mento's talk. The boy had the hearing of a bat, but somehow he always fell mysteriously deaf when told to do the laundry.

Raven thought for a moment. "I didn't hear a lot, but I understood most of it. …Did something happen to Elasti-girl?"

"Yeah," Beast Boy murmured quietly. "But I don't know. Mento says that Mom- uh, Rita was fine but then she just got sick really fast and could be-." He stopped, biting his lip. Raven nodded, indicating he didn't have to finish. Beast Boy absentmindedly took a drink out of the mug in his hands, and once again his face scrunched up. "And I think I'm done with _this_," he stated, placing the tea on the table in front of the sofa and causing Raven to smirk. Beast Boy sighed, uncharacteristically solemn again, and rested his chin in his hand. "But… Rae, she's my _mom_. Yeah, not my birth mom, but she raised me more than anyone else. She's some of the only family I have left… And… now…"

Raven was not a person ever at ease when it came to touching anyone; her strength was in intelligence, and so she did the only thing she could and offered him advice. "You don't know all the facts yet. Rita might not be really dying. Though you don't know reason for the sickness, Mento probably does. If he doesn't, we can figure it out. There is a good chance your mother can be cured by simple medicine, and if not, then I promise I'll do what I can to help." Raven relaxed as Beast Boy smiled at her.

"Thanks Raven."

Raven dipped her head in response. Behind the pair, the doors slid open, and the rest of the team, accompanied by Mento, entered. Mento's voice reached the very corners of the room. "So this is where you spend most of your time? It's what I expected from a bunch of teenagers." Feeling jabs of anger leaping off of Robin, Raven rose to her feet, followed by Beast Boy. Mento's icy eyes were tracing the outline of the ops room, his mouth twitching whenever he noticed something he didn't like. Seeing Beast Boy, Starfire quickly flew over to her friend with a worried expression on her face, Robin entering at a slower pace.

"Friend, are you alright?" Starfire murmured, grasping his shoulders. "Mento has informed Robin and I of the situation as you know it."

"I'm so sorry, Beast Boy," Robin added, watching the shape-shifter with concern.

Beast Boy nodded, his eyes still on his adoptive father. "I know. It's okay, guys."

Starfire pulled her arms back to her chest. "Are you certain?" she questioned, not entirely convinced of Beast Boy's acceptance of the situation.

"Yeah. It's not like I know everything yet. I should find out all the facts before assuming the worst, right?" he asked. Robin tilted his head, surprised at such an insightful response from the younger boy as Beast Boy glanced at Raven, and the two exchanged a small smile.

"What on earth is this?" Mento asked, his voice reaching the little group by the couch. The Doom Patrol leader was examining the refrigerator. Inside, he had spotted the strings of blue mold staining the once-white walls, and grimaced. "If you kids are eating this nowadays, it's no wonder mutant so-called-heroes keep springing up."

"Friend Mento?" Surprisingly, Starfire was the first to approach him, though it was probably for the best since the others might have had a different kind of greeting. Shutting the fridge door, the man faced Starfire and crossed his arms. Whatever had gone down between him and Robin had probably made Mento less of a fan of the young leader, and, seeing how his earlier exchange with Raven had spiraled downhill, Starfire looked like she was his favorite thus far.

"Yes?"

Starfire gave him one of her contagious smiles. "Would you perhaps be the willing to tell us what else you came here to speak to friend Beast Boy about?"

Mento gave her a strange look, trying to adjust to her style of speech. "Erm, I suppose. But I need to speak with Beast Boy about the matter first." When none of the teenagers moved from their positions, Mento added sternly, "_Alone_."

Robin shifted his position, his chin higher than it had been before. "I don't think that's a good idea." The two leaders glared at one another again, but before their intensity could set the room on fire, Beast Boy interrupted. He walked past his friends over to his father. His teammates stared at him in shock.

"It's okay, guys," he smiled reassuringly, his canine tooth glinting. "It'll be fine. I mean, we're just talking." The three Titans shifted uncomfortably, but none moved to stop Beast Boy when he and Mento exited the ops room. Robin, Starfire, and Raven stood together in silence for a few moments until Robin finally spoke.

"I don't like it," he grumbled, crossing his arms and leaning back against the couch. "Something about this just gives me a bad feeling."

"I agree, Robin," Starfire sighed, her cheerful attitude having vanished now that Mento was no longer present. "But right now I merely wish for friend Beast Boy to be alright."

Robin nodded without really thinking about it. "I'm sure he will be. He can take care of himself. What I'm worried about is what Mento wants."

"He wants something?" Starfire asked, curving her fingers around her arms.

"It's obvious. There would be no other reason for him to come here. He could have delivered the information about Beast Boy's mom over the phone." Robin tapped his chin. "No, he wants something from Beast Boy. It's always easier to be more convincing in person."

"I wonder what it is Mento wishes to have?" Starfire wondered aloud.

Raven said nothing, shifting her eyes to where the father and son were talking alone behind the door.


	2. Rita

**I apologize for the late update. I will be quicker next time. Also, to everyone who felt concerned about this being a depressing story, don't worry; things will get better.**

* * *

><p>Mento and Beast Boy's conversation went on for a long stretch, and the only update the Titans received on the father and son's talk was from Cyborg. During the time which the team was waiting, Cyborg had arrived back from the auto shop to return Robin's wallet and passed the two Doom Patrol members in the hall. Before he could ask any questions, Raven, having sensed the return of the robotic teen, appeared and ushered him into the main room. She, Robin, and Starfire were quick to explain the situation, and when asked if he'd heard what Mento and Beast Boy were talking about, Cyborg stated that all he'd overheard was something about the Doom Patrol. His response offered no insight as to what was being truly discussed, forcing the Titans to wait until Mento and Beast Boy finished.<p>

Finally, an hour later the doors slid open, and Mento, followed slowly by Beast Boy, entered the room. The teenagers inside were on their feet at once, halting in the activities they'd each reluctantly taken up to pass the time. The Doom Patrol leader wore an unreadable expression, but his eyes were set straight and unwavering as he approached the Titans. Raven reached out her senses to detect any emotion from the man, but Mento's feelings were perplexing as they were little. Beast Boy _was _emitting confusion, but Raven didn't need her powers to recognize the uncertain expression on his face.

Robin turned slightly, addressing the man in front of them. "Now would be a good time for you to tell us what you came here for."

Surprisingly, Mento stopped, glancing back at his adopted son. Beast Boy looked so small next to such a powerful figure. "I believe it would be better for you to hear everything from Beast Boy. Now," he continued without giving anyone a chance to question him further, "before I leave, would one of you kid- Titans direct me to the closest bathroom around here?"

"Before you leave?" Robin repeated.

"Take the elevator, go to the third floor, and then take a right," Cyborg interrupted. "You'll see it." Mento nodded briefly and exited the room. As the doors slid shut behind him, Raven lifted an eyebrow.

"That's not the closest bathroom," she said.

Cyborg shot a smirk at her. "I know."

Not wasting another moment, Robin approached Beast Boy, taking on a tone of authority. "Beast Boy, what's going on? What did he want to talk about?" The others drew near as well, each curious in their own sense to what his answer would be.

Beast Boy fiddled with his fingers a moment before answering. His voice was quiet, and he wouldn't look anyone in the eye. "He wants me to rejoin the Doom Patrol."

His teammates froze. Had the situation not felt so serious, Beast Boy might've transformed into a cricket for comedic effect, but the thought vanished as soon as it crossed his mind. His friend's shocked faces were warning enough not to fool around, but even without their reactions, he would have known this was neither the time nor place.

"What?" Robin hissed after a moment of stunned silence, his mask narrowing angrily. Beast Boy nodded, biting his lip. "He thinks he can do that?!"

"Well, we obviously didn't stop him from askin' it," Cyborg muttered. His appearance was dark, matching Robin's.

Starfire glided over to the shape-shifter and touched his arm. "What did you say to him, friend Beast Boy?"

Beast Boy shrugged. "I didn't say anything. I was as surprised as you guys." He lifted his head to meet the eyes of his friends. "But, you know, I don't know. He said because Elasti-Girl could be… 'out of commission' for a while, he needs me to rejoin the team. And if I wanted to, I could stay on it if- uh- wh-when she gets better."

"This is insane," Robin growled, crossing his arms. Starfire looked at him worriedly, floating to his side. The young leader shook his head. "Mento has no right to come into our home and do this! Who does he think he is? How would he like if we tried to steal his teammates right out from under his nose?"

Cyborg agreed. "Man, there is no way he can just demand BB to leave our team! He's a Titan, not a Doom Patrol member! I mean, that team is all made up of old people! We're the _Teen_ Titans! BB's a teenager!"

Putting a finger to her chin, Starfire tilted her head. "Are you certain age is the correct way to do the 'looking' at this?"

"'Course not, but you know what my point is!"

Robin punched his fist into his hand. "Mento's got another thing coming if he thinks that he can walk in and take our teammate! We don't let our friends go without-!"

"Do you want to go?"

The Titans turned to Raven who was hovering at the back of the group. So far the girl had not said anything else, but her quiet words brought another realization to mind. No one had considered Beast Boy's opinion. Their natural reaction was defensive; nobody wanted the jokester of the team to leave, but in the end it would be his choice.

Seeing as she had everyone's attention, Raven stepped up to Beast Boy. Her indigo eyes met with his green. "Do you want to go?" she repeated softly, her tone almost sounding raspy.

Beast Boy opened his mouth to speak, but, looking at the empath standing in front of him again, closed it, chewing on his lip. His teammates felt like they were holding their breath for forever as they awaited a response, but, while anticipating his answer, the doors slid open to reveal Mento in the entrance.

"If that's the closest bathroom here, then I'm Superman and this is the Fortress of Solitude," the man muttered beneath his breath. Looking up, he was met with several glares. "Ah, I see that Beast Boy has told you all of my proposal." Mento walked forward, unfazed, and he placed his hand on Beast Boy's shoulder. "Ready to go?"

Instantly, as if it was a reflex, Robin snapped at the leader of the Doom Patrol. "He hasn't agreed to join the Doom Patrol again."

"Yet," Mento replied, unmoving. "But he will."

"That's not your call, man," Cyborg stated.

The older man scowled at the teenager, about to bark back a retort, when Beast Boy interrupted. "Uh, actually I said I would go back. To see my mom."

Starfire's eyes grew big. "But friend Beast Boy-."

"It's okay, Star!" Beast Boy quickly assured, holding his hands out to her. "It's a visit. I haven't decided if I'm going to stay or not yet." The green teenager felt relieved when Starfire's lip stopped quivering, even though his father's hand was pressing hard into his shoulder.

Shaking his head, Robin grabbed Beast Boy's arm, pulling him away from Mento and drawing him aside. He stared at the younger boy sternly. "Beast Boy, you know that if you go then he's just going to keep you there. You won't have a choice. The other members of the team will be there to make you stay, unlike here where you have a clearer mind."

Beast Boy sighed. He knew Robin thought he was doing what was best, but really his leader was trying to influence Beast Boy's decision by keeping him at the tower. "But I have to see my mom," the shape-shifter murmured, lowering his head.

Robin looked at the boy, sympathy pressing inside of him. He exhaled, putting a hand to his head and flattening his spikey hair. "…Alright, but we're going to have to contact the Titans East to watch over the tower."

Beast Boy lifted his sights, confused. "Why?"

"Because we're coming with you."

As Robin and Beast Boy spoke quietly, Mento glanced over the rest of the team. Cyborg was trying to comfort Starfire further, and Raven was standing apart, looking on. The head of the Doom Patrol snorted. What a team. After seeing them in battle, he was less skeptical of their skills, but it was evident that this was the strangest group of kids he'd ever seen in one place. Sure, he commanded a team of super powered heroes, but they were not children. As adults, they could make the hard decisions that no teenager would ever be able to resolve correctly. While admittedly intelligent, Robin was still too young to be a leader and no doubt tried to take control over everything, arguing without listening like adolescents would when they didn't get their way. The robotic Titan nearby seemed well enough, but when placed in the same room with the other teenagers -especially Beast Boy- the child in him rose to the surface. There was no control there, and the kid undoubtedly had some maturing to do.

Mento shifted his sights to the alien princess, picking out the flaws in her as he had done the others. She was too kind, too naïve. Her talents for fighting were impressive, but her inability to understand the simplest of metaphors and statements would throw her off. An enemy could easily take advantage of it. Mento glanced at his son. He was naturally none too pleased with Beast Boy being one of the Titans. The shape-shifter was young and inexperienced, and he needed real guidance if he was going to do well in the hero business in the future. But once he came back to the Doom Patrol that would all be taken care of.

Lastly Mento looked at the shadiest character in the room. Raven's powers were something to be reckoned with, but she was so silent, so cryptic. The man wondered how much the girl had told the Titans about herself, and how much she had left in the dark. Her tongue was sharper than her tone, and when Beast Boy described her in the past, she was always reading or meditating alone. Mento shook his head. The sooner Beast Boy was away from her and the rest of this dysfunctional team, the better. Mento glanced at Raven again and realized she was staring right back at him.

The leader of the Doom Patrol frowned, lines forming on his forehead and around his mouth. "What?"

Raven, keeping his eye contact, simply lifted an eyebrow as if expecting him to answer his own question. Seeing how the empath was not going to say anything, Mento huffed and crossed his arms, facing away from her again just as Robin and Beast Boy broke apart.

"We're coming with him," the young leader announced.

"You cannot be serious." Mento looked at him incredulously. "What can you possibly hope to accomplish by doing something so foolish?"

"We're going to keep his head on straight."

"That's my job," Mento responded, anger stirring in his voice. "He doesn't need to listen to any kids to tell him what to do."

Robin leaned forward, shoulders hunched. "So that means you can?!"

Beast Boy quickly interfered, jumping in between the two. "It's okay, guys! It's okay!" Addressing his father, the teenager added, "Please Mento. It's the only way I can think to keep everything fair." He looked at the leader of the Doom Patrol with pleading eyes, and the man grunted.

"Fine."

Beast Boy smiled, turning to his friends. "Well, guess we gotta get packed then!" he grinned. "Let's go!" He scampered off to his room, suddenly filled with energy at the thought of seeing his old team again, and, with a shrug, Cyborg and Starfire followed. Robin, with a hard glare aimed toward Mento, walked toward the exit beside Raven. He muttered beneath his breath to the empath, "I knew Mento wanted something. I just never imagined it would be Beast Boy."

* * *

><p>"Robotman! Negative Man! Dudes, I haven't seen you in forever!"<p>

Beast Boy ran forward to greet his old teammates, jumping up to Robotman, grabbed him in a huge hug, and then transformed into a small monkey and hopped onto Negative Man's head, chattering happily.

The dark man grunted. "Nice to see your sense of humor hasn't improved while you've been gone, kid."

Following at a less eager pace, the rest of the Titans walked away from the T-ship behind Mento. The Doom Patrol was located in the African jungle at the moment, searching for any signs of the Brotherhood of Evil in hope for an indication of the super villains' next target. Since their first base had been located in the Amazon, apparently the next logical step was to assume the Brotherhood's second headquarters would appear in another vast jungle. Robin was quick to point out how the Titans had recently defeated the villains, but Mento just snapped that the Brotherhood would be back; they always were. Cyborg, Raven, Starfire, and Beast Boy had remained silent during the argument that followed, each remembering how often Robin told them the same thing about Slade.

At one calm point during the long flight to Africa, Mento had taken the liberty to explain exactly what had happened to Elasti-girl. Of course, it was only due to gentle urging from Starfire that the team found out, but no matter the means of acquirement, Beast Boy was grateful for the information. About a week ago, the Doom Patrol had been trekking through the rainforest on top of a slanted slope. The dirt was loose underneath, and Rita managed to lose her footing on a particularly slippery section. She'd skidded down the drop only to land in a shallow pond, splashing water everywhere and chilling herself to the bone. After a quick examination to find that she suffered but a few cuts, the unsuspecting team continued in their journey. A few days later, Rita collapsed, trembling and sweating feverishly. The team set up camp on a rare level of flat, open ground, and they hadn't moved since. Luckily the Doom Patrol carried a lot of medical supplies with the group, mainly because they knew they'd be out of civilization for a while, and so she was in adequate care. At least, that's what Mento claimed.

Beast Boy bounded down from Negative Man's head, shifting back into a human and grinning at the familiar lack of any expression on his old teammate's bandaged face. Save for the Doom Patrol uniform covering his midsection, Negative Man was covered head to toe in white bandages. Robotman walked up beside his swathed friend, smirking at Beast Boy. Robotman's physical structure was completely made of orange –or rusted; the Titans weren't sure—metal. However, his only human feature, his mind, still retained the man's intellect and personality. His large cold hand ruffled Beast Boy's hair. "How's it going, kid? Miss us yet?"

Beast Boy grinned, his canine tooth prodding against his upper lip. "Only sometimes." His teammates approached from behind, and the shape-shifter gestured to them. "Remember my team?"

"The group of colorful kids; yeah, I remember 'em," Robotman nodded, offering a hand to each of the teenagers. He scanned the Titans with a lifted metal eyebrow. "Don't even have matching uniforms."

Negative Man didn't bother holding out his hand in greeting, instead standing beside his larger teammate in silence until the handshakes were finished, and then stepped forward. "I'd say it's nice to see you again," he said in monotone, "but given the circumstances…" Beast Boy's ears drooped a little at the reminder, but he straightened again when Mento, having finished with his ship, drew near. The Doom Patrol leader had taken a jet rather than riding in one of the Titans' pods.

"Elasti-girl a tough woman; she'll be fine in a few days."

Robin narrowed his eyes, squinting at the man. "If you're so certain of that, then why did you insist Beast Boy come back to see her? Why did you say she was dying?" Mento regarded the Titan coldly. Robin had already figured out that the man only used such a choice of words in order to convince Beast Boy to come back to the Doom Patrol. However, before the man could even open his mouth to snap back a retort, Starfire -always the mediator- interrupted.

"Please, I wish for our teams to do the getting along. We are fighters of crime, are we not?" She glanced back and forth between Robin and Mento. "We shall not be doing the fighting of one another."

Shifting his eyes to the girl, Mento grunted and turned away, arms stiff at his side. "Beast Boy," he called, catching the shape-shifter's attention. "I'll show you where Elasti-girl is resting. Your friends should stay here." Beast Boy hurried to follow, casting a nervous glance over his shoulder that only Raven caught. She watched as the pair disappeared into the white Doom Patrol airship parked nearby, and then turned back to her current company.

Robotman had his eyes set on her, and, noting that he had all of the teenagers' attention, rumbled, "So, not that I'm complaining that you're all here, but what's your point in comin' with? I figure this isn't just a leisurely vacation, am I right?"

Cyborg answered for the group. "What do you think, man? Mento comes into our tower, thinkin' he's gonna take BB from us, and you expect us to just sit on by? Not gonna happen."

Robin simplified the message, crossing his arms. "We are here to make sure that Mento doesn't put any ideas into Beast Boy's head. And of course we'll do anything we can to help Elasti-girl," he added, but it was more of an afterthought and everyone knew it.

Robotman shook his head, narrowing his sights on Raven again. "Well, thanks then, I guess. Suppose we're lucky that you brought a sorceress of sorts with ya though. Might need the magic mumbo-jumbo stuff since Elasti-girl could use some he-ow!" Robotman rubbed his foot where Negative Man had stepped on it. There was no way that the thin man could have hurt his metallic foot, but Robotman still pouted at his teammate as best as his stiff jaw would allow.

The bandaged man addressed the Titans, ignoring his teammate's protest. "Won't your city need you while you're gone?"

Robin replied again. "We have another group of Titans watching over while we're absent. We'll leave when Beast Boy does." Though Negative Man bore no expression to read, the teenagers sensed the doubtful air that ran off of him and Robotman.

Cyborg cleared his throat, peering at the surrounding campsite. "So," he began, rubbing the top of his head and squeaking metal against metal. "What do ya'll do for fun here? Got any video games?"

Robotman started laughing, a deep, boisterous sound. He clapped Cyborg on the back, almost unbalancing the teenager. "Video games?! That's a good one! You've never said anythin' like that to Mento have you? Oh, kid, if you have, please tell me you got it on tape!" A slow smile started on Cyborg's face, and soon enough he was chuckling too.

Negative Man groaned. "Great; two Robotmans. That's the last thing I need." Raven lifted an eyebrow; that was almost exactly what she was going to say. "If you want to follow me, I'll give you a tour of the camp. Try not to get too excited," Negative Man stated through his bandages as he walked away from the group. Sharing a shrug, the Titans trailed him, every once in a while casting a glance at the giant airplane nearby.

* * *

><p>"Why is Mom in the ship?" Beast Boy asked, exploring the familiar walls of the Doom Patrol's airship with his eyes. Mento kept his head unmoving, walking a straight line down the hallway.<p>

"The temperature is more controlled in here. Most of our medical equipment is stored in the ship as well; it is mostly for convenience." The man turned a corner, Beast Boy scurrying alongside him so not to be left behind. "I was fortunate enough to contact a friend that had an opportune spare ship nearby. That is how I reached your… T tower so quickly."

Beast Boy held back a snort of disbelief. Mento had waited at least a day or two before thinking to tell his adopted son about Rita, and it had by no means been quick. And really? Mento had friends? The green shape-shifter smirked slightly at the improbable thought, clearing his face of the amused expression when Mento glanced in his direction. The Doom Patrol leader shook his head, reaching a door at the end of the corridor and grasping the handle. "Elasti-girl is inside. I expect you to behave yourself."

Beast Boy wasn't even listening. The door opened, revealing a pale woman lying on a hospital mattress. Several IVs were hooked up to her arms, and while she breathed in and out evenly, an oxygen mask was set up nearby just in case. A heart monitor beeped in a constant rhythm the background. Rita blinked her eyes slowly, focusing on the green boy standing in the doorway, and a soft smile lit up her face. "Garfield?"

"Mom!" Beast Boy ran inside the room, ignoring Mento's sharp commands to act appropriate, and threw his arms around Rita's neck. His adoptive mother smiled, smoothing down his hair with one hand and returning the embrace with the other. Beast Boy had been careful not to disrupt any of the IV connections in presenting his hug, and he stayed just as cautious when releasing the woman. Rita touched the green boy's cheek, smiling warmly.

Mento, of course, interrupted, and the shape-shifter reddened a little when his father stormed over to the bedside. "Beast Boy, I told you to behave yourself. Rita does not need to strain herself in this state, and your actions are-."

Rita came to Beast Boy's rescue, glaring at her husband. "Steve, give him a break. We have not seen each other for a very long time. And I am _not_ straining myself," she added upon seeing Mento open his mouth again. "Now go be a good man and wait outside. We need some mother-son time." Rita was the only one who could talk in such a way to the leader of the Doom Patrol and get away without suffering the consequences. Biting his tongue, Mento held his breath and exited the medical bay. Rita's stern expression melted into one of love, and she motioned to a chair nearby. "Take a seat, Garfield. We have a lot to catch up on."

Happily, her son obliged. He felt safe there with Rita's warm glow keeping out Mento's cold attitude, and the boy had already all but forgotten that his adoptive father stood guard outside. Scooting his chair up beside the bed, Beast Boy placed his hand on the edge of Rita's mattress. "It's awesome to see you again," he grinned a little. "I was kinda hoping it would be for different reasons though…"

"As do I, Garfield, but no matter. It is wonderful to talk with you after our long time apart." Elasti-girl tilted her head, and Beast Boy smiled. Despite his mother's cheerful reaction to seeing him, her illness was evident. She was too thin, and her skin had lost a lot of its color. Even her bright eyes were somewhat glassy. Whatever sickness had claimed her was taking its toll.

The pair talked for a while, though granted it was mostly Beast Boy narrating his tales of adventure and danger with the Titans while Rita listened attentively. She was a great audience, more so than any of Beast Boy's teammates ever were. It helped that she hadn't been there to see the battles, and she wasn't reliving it like his friends who just wanted to relax after the fight instead of hear the shape-shifter's interpretation of it. Beast Boy would admit later that he took a few creative liberties and put himself in the place of the hero, but at the moment he was having too much of a good time to worry about it. Rita realized this, but she played along anyway, nodding, chuckling, and gasping appropriately. After a while, the conversation calmed down, and Elasti-girl developed a more serious air about her.

"Garfield, has Mento spoken to you about staying with the Doom Patrol?"

Beast Boy became sullen at the mention Mento's request, and he swallowed. "Yeah…"

Rita sighed, frowning. "I told that man to invite you for a visit, nothing else, but he insisted that 'if Garfield is going to come, he might as well stay'." The woman's cross expression diminished, and she focused on her son's worried face. "I don't want to ask this of you, Garfield. It is entirely unfair of me to do so, but the Doom Patrol does need help while I'm incapacitated. If anything should happen, I won't be able to help. It would only be for a little while, honey."

"Mento didn't make it sound like that," Beast Boy muttered. He glanced down, meeting Rita's concerned gaze, and sighed. "Mom, I want to help, I really really do, but I don't know if it's right. Well, I don't know about right; I don't know if I should rejoin or not. I can't just leave my team, but I don't know what team I'm going to leave by doing it!"

Rita looked up at her son, gently touching his hand. "Oh, Garfield, I don't know what to tell you."

Beast Boy shrugged, rubbing the back of his neck. A soft creak came from behind them, and the mother and son turned their heads to the door. Raven had already entered the room by the time they saw her, silently approaching a cabinet and reaching for the contents within. She removed a roll of bandages, moving to leave without a word so not to interrupt Rita and Beast Boy, but they'd already noticed her. "Uh, hey Rae?" She glanced at Beast Boy, realizing that she was the focus of attention. The girl stopped, and Beast Boy gestured to the bandages. "What's up with all the, uh, medical stuff?"

Raven dipped her head, meeting the green teenager's gaze. "Robotman managed to get Negative Man tangled in some branches, and he needs bandages. Somehow I was nominated to fetch them. Sorry for the disruption."She took a step toward the door, but Rita suddenly spoke up.

"Your name is Rae?"

"Y-Yes," Raven replied, surprised that the woman was speaking to her. The empath had been prepared only to come in and get out so to leave Rita and Beast Boy alone. She corrected herself. "No. Raven. Rae is a shortened version."

"Ah, I apologize, Raven. I just wished to tell you before you leave." Rita smiled, kindness in her eyes. "You're very pretty. Quite beautiful if you ask me."

Beast Boy flushed. "Mom!"

Raven stared at Rita, the shadow from her hood hiding her spreading blush. "I-I'll leave you to talk." The empath stepped through the doorway, and it closed shut behind her with a quiet click.

Beast Boy frowned at his mother. "Mom, really?!"

Rita laughed, a light twinkle in her eye. "She's quite pretty, though, isn't she? And smart. You've even got a nickname for her."

The shape-shifter quickly explained. "Mom, I give nicknames to everyone. Robin's Rob, Starfire's Star, Cyborg's Cy, and Raven's-."

Rita chuckled, ruffling his hair. "I see the way you look at her, Garfield. She's a puzzle that you have yet to figure out." Beast Boy fidgeted, embarrassed and uncomfortable. He shifted his eyes to the door where the empath had disappeared, wondering how Raven had been able to enter with Mento guarding the door. Rita noticed his awkwardness, and, smiling, touched his knee. "We'll discuss her some other time."

The green boy looked at her hopefully. "Then you're feeling better?"

"Stronger every day," Rita promised. Beast Boy smiled back, unknowing that what she told him was a lie. It was only to see the smile on his face that she said her condition improved. In truth, hour by hour Rita grew weaker and more exhausted, more dehydrated, and closer to closing her eyes. She didn't know if she was dying; all Rita knew was how thirsty and tired she was. "You'd better go, Garfield, before Steve decides for you." Beast Boy nodded, squeezing his mother's hand, and stood. When he reached the exit, Rita called to him, "It was wonderful seeing you again. We'll talk later if you would like to."

"'Course," Beast Boy guaranteed, grinning as he closed the door behind him. Rita sighed, watching the shadows of her husband and son retreating from underneath the door. Eventually they faded away, and the woman relaxed against her pillow, listening to the heart monitor pulse in the background.


	3. Tents

**I'm so sorry for taking so long to update, but here's the next chapter at last!**

* * *

><p>The camp was nothing impressive, but the Doom Patrol had no real reason for the site to be anything exceeding normality. Multiple tents stood upright in a circle, and located in the center sat one table littered with papers. The one place the Titans wanted to visit –the airship where Mento and Beast Boy resided at the moment- was "unavailable" according to Negative Man. Needless to say, the most exciting a part of the tour was when, yawning, Robotman accidentally bumped into Negative Man and caught the smaller man's bandages on a tree branch. While waiting for Raven to return from fetching new bindings, the teenagers separated into respective groups, Robin and Starfire drifting away to talk together, and Cyborg and Robotman comparing electronic notes a little further off. So it was that when Raven returned, she found Negative Man trapped with the tree all by himself, left alone with the screech of animals and the heavy breeze. She lifted an eyebrow but said nothing as she helped detangle the Doom Patrol member.<p>

After a few minutes of careful work, Negative Man was free, and he began the process of wrapping bandages around his arms where the cloth threatened to tear. Luckily he hadn't ripped any bindings, but it never hurt to be careful. Raven lingered nearby, watching him while her mind drifted to the Doom Patrol's leader and his wife. It was amazing how different Beast Boy's adoptive parents were. They somehow balanced each other out, but were complete opposites at the same time. She wondered how the two ever found it in themselves to tolerate the other, let alone get married.

"He might not look like it, but Mento is worried about Elasti-girl," Negative Man stated in a drone voice. Raven blinked, not realizing she had spoken aloud. Or had she? The Doom Patrol member tightened the dressing on his arm. "We all are. Robotman was right in saying we do need 't tell him I said that," he added as an afterthought.

Raven lowered her hood. Like with Rita, she hadn't expected Negative Man to talk to her. If anything, she thought they would keep each other's company in silence. Somehow the empath continued to get drawn into these exchanges, which was strange considering she never believed herself to be much of a conversationalist. "If she's so sick, why haven't you brought her into civilization by now?"

"It's a bad idea to move her," Negative Man replied, so monotone that Raven was slightly impressed. The cloth over his mouth vibrated with every breath. "Besides, Mento wants to make sure there's nothing here connecting back to the Brotherhood of Evil."

"Do you think there is?" The dark girl crossed her arms. "And isn't it more important to take care of Elasti-girl first?" Negative Man focused on his bandages, silent. Raven narrowed her eyes. "He's your leader, but you don't think what he's doing is right."

"There isn't a line between right and wrong. It's all opinion." He lifted his head, presumably looking at Raven. "You seem like a smart girl; you should know what it's like to question your leader. There's a time, and then there isn't."

Raven set her jaw. "So why haven't you? It seems to me like the perfect time to question him."

"That's your opinion."

"Yes, it is."

The conversation stopped; it was not headed in a good direction, and both of them knew it. Negative Man finished wrapping his arm and laid the bandage roll on the table in the center of the tents. He grabbed a few spare papers and started stacking them into an unorganized pile. "How was it getting past Mento?"

He was talking about when she'd gone into the ship. "Alright." Raven joined Negative Man beside the table. "He didn't want me to interrupt."

"But you convinced him."

Raven nodded. Her mind flashed back to the image of Rita spread out on the medical bed, how pale she looked, the beads of sweat on her forehead, and Beast Boy's uncharacteristically worried expression. The empath swallowed. "What exactly is wrong with Elasti-girl? Her symptoms," she clarified.

"Mento wouldn't like you to know that." Raven waited, quirking an eyebrow. Negative Man breathed out. "How would it help anyway?" he droned. "You couldn't do anything."

Raven frowned, tapping her elbow with her finger. Silence filled the air for a minute, and then she decided to play her ace card. "I can heal." Negative Man paused in his work, setting down the papers in his hands. The dark sorceress regarded his actions. "I don't know how well I could cure a sickness, but I would do what I could."

Negative Man didn't move, and Raven looked at him in annoyance. It was challenging to hold a conversation with someone who never expressed emotion. She faintly hoped that she wasn't so difficult when being spoken to. "Power like that doesn't come without a price," the man said at last.

"My father was the king of all demons; that's price enough," she countered. Negative Man was not convinced, staring at her though his bandaged face. If he had a visible eyebrow, it would have been lifted in expectation. Raven pressed her lips together. "When I heal, the pain is transferred into my body. Though slightly lessened, I have to then deal with it on my own." She glared at the Doom Patrol member. "Don't tell my team."

"I expected you to know I wasn't going to," Negative Man replied. He went back to cleaning the wooden surface, speaking impassively. "There are certain things you don't say so others won't worry." Raven blinked, wondering what it was that he had hidden from the Doom Patrol. "Wouldn't healing Elasti-girl make you sick?" he inquired, shifting papers into a pile.

"I've never tried to heal an illness," she admitted, "but I'm willing to try."

"What could you possibly gain from that?" he questioned, his voice as emotionless as a robot's. More emotionless really; Robotman exhibited more feeling in his words than Negative Man did.

Raven squinted at him, adjusting her weight from one leg to the other. After some consideration, she spoke, taking her time to get the response out. "She would be better. She wouldn't be sick."

"And?"

"Beast Boy wouldn't be worried." The answer was out of Raven's mouth before she meant it to be.

Negative Man snorted. "You wouldn't do it so he would come back to your team?" Raven opened her mouth, about to deny that the thought had ever crossed her mind, but then she closed it. Negative Man saw right through her. The empath wasn't used to someone being so similar to her that they could predict her thoughts and words, and it felt a little more than peculiar.

She refused to look at the man, at last replying, "He hasn't really smiled since we left the tower."

Negative Man almost chuckled. "So it's about the kid, is it?" Raven peered at the bandaged man, trying to understand what he was saying, and the Doom Patrol member shook his head. "Yeah, that boy was always trying to get me to come out of my shell. Crack a joke, laugh, or smile."

Raven lifted an eyebrow, put off by the swerve of topic. "Wouldn't that be difficult since he can't see your mouth?"

Negative Man made a sound balancing between a laugh and a grunt. "You think he'd realize that after a while." He nodded at her. "But if you think I'm bad now, you should have seen me before the kid joined the Doom Patrol." Raven tried to envision a less excited version of Negative Man, but the image wouldn't conjure. He was already the epitome of impassive.

She sighed. "He's the same with me: joking around, pranking, and constantly involving me in things."

"He must try more with you."

"I'm so lucky," Raven rolled her eyes sarcastically, leaning back against the table.

Negative Man was not swayed by her disdain. "You should feel lucky. It's not every day that someone tries as hard as that kid does to make a person happy."

Raven unfolded her arms, looking at Negative Man. He had a point. Beast Boy _had_ made an impact in a way that neither of the dark heroes had expected; he'd brought joy and brightness into their lives. He was, at least in Raven's mind, the little light that cut through her darkness. Beast Boy's attempts to cheer others up were often interpreted as just annoyances, but when he did eventually accomplish his task, both he and the subject of his attention cherished the result.

Negative Man distracted Raven from her thoughts. "We'd appreciate it if you helped Rita. Just don't do something stupid." He picked up the papers and his bandage roll, handing the surprised empath a sheet filled with scribbles. "Here's a list of her symptoms. Mento doesn't need to know." And he left, walking in the direction of the airship. Raven stared at him, processing the entirety of their conversation, but her attention was stolen when a large man and small green boy exited the aircraft. She tucked the paper into the folds of her cape and flew over, finding that her teammates were gathered there too.

Beast Boy smiled faintly at his friends, coming to a stop at the base of the large plane. He looked tired. "Hey guys."

Cyborg spoke first, his human eye bright with concern. "Hey man. How is she?"

The shape-shifter shrugged. "Hard to tell. I don't know any medical stuff, so…" His eyes darted to Raven briefly, but Mento spoke before Beast Boy could.

"So as you can see, there is no need for you to stay here anymore." The man glared at each of them. "Rita will be fine soon, so you can fly on back to your T."

The Titans exchanged doubtful glances. Robin folded his arms over one another. "We leave when Beast Boy leaves."

The man frowned. "Where _do_ you kids get this stubbornness from?"

Cyborg coughed. "_We're_ stubborn?"

Robin quieted his teammate with a wave of his hand, though the leader was thinking something along the same lines as Cyborg. He stepped closer to Mento, taking a deep breath. "Please understand that we need to be here as support for Beast Boy, just as he is here for his mother. If you respect that, then we will respect Beast Boy's visit." The Titans glanced at him in surprise; Starfire must have had a talk with the Boy Wonder earlier about his behavior.

Mento regarded Robin peculiarly, and the teenagers could almost hear the gears in his mind turning. Unless that was Cyborg of course. Eventually he grunted, facing away from the team. "I suppose there is no changing your mind, no matter the foolishness of your insistence, so I will show you where you'll be staying." A wave of relaxation swept over the teenagers, and Mento started in the direction of the tents. The Titans began following him, but the Doom Patrol leader paused and glanced over his shoulder at Beast Boy. "Not you. You will stay somewhere else. Go find Robotman to show you." The shape-shifter opened his mouth to object, but he snapped it shut after a glare from Mento. With a sad glance at his friends, Beast Boy trudged off in a different direction. Mento had already walked off before the rest of the Titans could protest, and, irritably, they followed him.

The Titans were shown to a small tan tent with the capacity of three at most and just barely tall enough for standing room. It was empty save for a stick in the middle that kept the structure upright. Robin's previously collected attitude vanished along with their space, and he whirled on Mento. The man stood outside the tent with a nearly amused expression. "What is this?" the Titans' leader demanded.

"Your tent," Mento responded, crossing his arms. "We did not bring enough to shelter all four of you, so you will have to make do with what you're given. Unless you wish to leave instead," he added. Robin swore he saw a smirk on the man's face.

He forced himself to take a deep breath. "Beast Boy won't like this."

Mento's expression sharpened, almost hostile. "What Beast Boy does not know will not hurt him." He whirled around, disappearing behind the multiple tents nearby. One could practically feel the angry air stirring around the teenagers.

Cyborg tightened his fingers into a fist. "I couldn't even fit the T-car in here! No room? Does he not _see_ all the other tents?! He can't think we aren't goin' to tell Beast Boy about this?!"

"But he's right." Robin clenched his jaw at the thought, and Starfire's comforting touch on his shoulders was the only thing preventing the spikey-haired teenager from storming out of the tent to show Mento exactly what he thought about the size of the tent. His teammates glanced at him with expectant and incredulous expressions. Robin spat through gritted teeth. "If we make a big deal about this, it'll just spark another argument, and that's the last thing Beast Boy needs. He already has enough on his mind without us making more problems for him." Reluctantly the Titans recognized the reasoning behind his words, nodding or simply scowling. Many were a mixture of both.

"Fine," Cyborg growled. He scanned the tent. "But if he's expectin' us to not make a few adjustments in here, he's got another thing comin'." Grumbling beneath his breath, the robotic teenager exited the shelter to gather supplies from the T-ship, and Robin, Starfire, and Raven trailed their friend to help haul their luggage into the tiny tent.

* * *

><p>"Dude, this place is huge!" Beast Boy exclaimed in awe, drinking in the image of his sleeping quarters. For a tent, it was impressive; twice the size of Cyborg's T-car with a foldable cot in the corner that looked just as comfortable as his bunk-bed back at home. The thought of staying in the jungle with his old team suddenly seemed a lot more appealing. So did the bed. Beast Boy hopped inside the tent, immediately falling back onto the cot and bouncing a few times. He shut his eyes. "Dude, this feels so great. I think I'm just gonna fall asleep right now, 'kay?"<p>

Robotman chuckled from the entrance of the tent and took a few steps inside. "Never let it be said that the Doom Patrol aren't good hosts, kid. It's even temperature controlled so ya don't overheat too much when sleepin'; all our tents got it. Since you're stayin' here for a while, we might as well let you be comfortable, yeah?"

Beast Boy sighed in agreement, relaxing for a few seconds more before sitting up. "My friends get an awesome tent too, right?"

Robotman shrugged, his jaw creaking as he answered. "I dunno, kid. Probably. Mento only told me to show you your place. Why not go ask 'em?" The Doom Patrol member chuckled. "After, we can get together and hang out if ya feel like it."

"Sure!" Beast Boy bounded off of his bed, landing firmly on the ground with two feet. Spotting is teammates trudging along outside the tent, the shape-shifter jogged toward them. "Hey guys!"  
>Starfire saw him first, and she returned his large smile with one of her own. She tugged on Robin's arm, and he paused, lowering the bags of luggage in his hands. The spikey-haired boy caught sight of Beast Boy and said something over his shoulder to Raven and Cyborg, the two dropping their belongings as well. Starfire lifted the corners of her mouth again. "Greetings, friend Beast Boy!"<p>

"'Sup, Star?" Beast Boy grinned, glancing over his friends. "So, is your guys' tent as awesome as mine?" His words brought nothing but silence as a response from the team, and Beast Boy sensed the change. Ears drooping, he had barely opened his mouth when Raven beat him to speaking.

"Awesome. What an extensive vocabulary you have," she said, rolling her eyes.

The air lightened, and Beast Boy chuckled, hooking his hands together behind his neck. "All the better to talk to you with, my dear." Starfire smiled, and while Raven's impassive reaction was natural, the two remaining boys of the group were having a more difficult time hiding their irritation at the sleeping arrangements.

Robin grunted, scooping up his luggage. Thankfully he had enough sense to depart before he lost his temper. "I'm going to bring our things to the tent," he muttered behind the bags. Starfire hurried to assist him, leaving a heated Cyborg and calm Raven behind.

Raven spotted the clenching of Cyborg's fists, and she sighed impassively, "Maybe you should help him."

The teenager inhaled deeply, and then relaxed his shoulders. "Yeah… Maybe I should." In a similar manner to that of Robin's earlier actions, Cyborg snatched his possessions into his arms and disappeared. Beast Boy lifted an eyebrow, facing Raven.

"So, wanna help me move my stuff to my tent?" he asked, smiling. "I mean, everyone else seems to be, so I might as well join in." Raven, finding she had no excuse to refuse, dipped her head. The empath had but one square suitcase with, and it hardly weighed anything, so she wrapped her fingers around the handle and followed Beast Boy back to the T-ship. The shape-shifter, an expert at finding topics of conversation, was quick to strike up a new discussion with her. "It's nice seeing the Doom Patrol again," he grinned.

Raven didn't respond, having only known the older generation's team for a day or so before their current situation. It hadn't been much of an experience.

Beast Boy continued as they drew nearer to the T-ship. "It'd be perfect if Mento wasn't always being so strict and stuff. He really hasn't changed," the green boy grunted, climbing up the ship and digging through their things to find his luggage. Raven waited patiently, catching his bags with her powers as the gear was tossed to the earth. Beast Boy slid down next to her, hauling his some of his stuff over his shoulder and dragging the rest on the ground. "Nice to see my mom though."

Raven felt her cheeks heat a little at the memory of her previous encounter with Rita.

Beast Boy seemed to realize what he'd said and likewise flushed. "Oh… Yeah. Sorry about that. I dunno what she was thinking… I know how you are about that stuff…"

The empath shifted her arms behind her cloak, staring at the ground. "It's okay; I never had my parents call me beautiful. It was nice to hear it from someone else's."

"Heh, yeah I guess." Beast Boy glanced over at her, suddenly thinking how right his mother was. He'd always been aware of his friend's eye-catching appearance, but somehow when Rita mentioned it, she'd brought the fact back into the light. Somehow seeing the empath blush managed to make her even more attractive; she looked more open. Of course he didn't dare say these thoughts aloud. Rita was one thing, and he was another. Elasti-girl was an acquaintance, almost a stranger who was just giving a kind compliment. Beast Boy was a teammate who might easily sound like he was hitting on her. And if someone hit on Raven, she would hit them back. Usually to the moon.

The walk to Beast Boy's tent was very brief, and shortly the pair reached the shelter. Raven faltered upon seeing its grand size, but she kept her mouth shut despite the stir of frustration in her gut, and followed Beast Boy in silence. Observant as always, the shape-shifter did not realize her muteness was due to infuriation, and, after tossing the luggage onto his bed, he eagerly splayed his arms out.

"So? Whose tent wins at being more awesome?" he teased, grinning brightly.

Raven scanned around the empty space, her stomach clenching. "Yours is… slightly more impressive."

Beast Boy relaxed his arms, motioning for her to come in. "But only slightly, right?" It was his subtle way of asking if Mento had remained as generous with their space as he had with his adopted son's. Raven quirked an eyebrow, and Beast Boy interpreted the action to say that they had enough room. Besides, if they needed more, his friends knew all they would have to do was ask. Wouldn't they?

Taking on a solemn air, Beast Boy positioned himself on the edge of the bed. "So, um, Rae," he cleared his throat, fiddling with the handle of a suitcase. "I've been wanting to talk to you about my mom…." Raven sensed his shift of attitude, and she hesitated but a moment before joining him on the side of his cot. Beast Boy shot her a grateful glance. "It's like I said earlier; I don't know any medical stuff, but you saw what she was like." He sighed, swinging his legs back and forth. "I know she's not okay. I guess… I'd like to know how bad she is."

Raven contemplated his request. Of course she wanted to help, but with her limited information, it would be quite difficult to do so. The empath mentally checked for the list of symptoms still folded in her cloak. Even with the information, there were surely multiple illnesses that Elasti-girl could possess. Raven exhaled. "Before I can do anything, I'll have to take a closer look. The brief moment that I saw Elasti-girl was not enough for me to identify a specific sickness. For all I know, it could be something I've never heard of before."

Beast Boy seemed to retract further into himself, drawing his shoulders together, and nodded.

His disheartened emotions pressed at Raven, and she softened on the inside. Her voice reached the green teenager's ears. "But I've already promised that I will do anything that I can, and I stand by that." A spark of hope lit inside of Beast Boy, and he met her eyes with gratitude in his expression. Raven was struck with a sudden rush of relief at his hope, and to both of their surprise, a small smile appeared on her lips. She stood quickly, offering, "If you want me to, we can check on her now."

Beast Boy rose to his feet too, his familiar grin reappearing at last. "Yeah, I'd love that."

They had barely exited his tent, however, when Mento cut them off. The taller man had appeared suddenly, giving no warning of his arrival, and now he folded his arms over one another, towering above the two Titans. Regardless of the scowl on his face -which was deterring to even Raven- his words were somewhat inquisitive. "Beast Boy. Are you happy with your sleeping arrangement?"

Beast Boy was just as stunned as Raven by his question, more so than anything because Mento was concerned for his needs. Then again, Raven noted dully, maybe the man asked only because of her presence. The shape-shifter shook his head, stammering, "U-uh, yeah. It's great!"

"Awesome in his exact words," Raven murmured, monotone. Mento's eye twitched as Beast Boy smirked at her comment.

The Doom Patrol's leader cleared his throat. "Yes… And what of yours?" he addressed the dark girl. Raven restrained the urge to scowl, composing herself enough so not to alert Beast Boy of her and the team's predicament with the tent. Now she knew Mento was asking because of his son's presence, not hers. He was trying to prove that he had it in him to take just as good care of Beast Boy as the Titans could. While she repressed the desire to glower at Mento, Raven knew of her inability to keep her tongue quite as tamed, and so she settled with silence as her answer. Mento snorted, for some reason unimpressed. "Ah, yes. Now, where is it you two are off to?"

Beast Boy wore a nervous smile. "We're going to talk with Rita."

"So soon?" Mento queried, skepticism stressed in his tone. "Your mother needs her sleep."

Beast Boy's ears dropped to the ground as did his eyes. "Oh, but I thought…"

Raven finished his sentence. "I was going to see if there was anything I can do. I have some medical experience." Not in the same way that Mento probably assumed, but Raven's claim was not a lie.

Mento stiffened. "No."

Raven and Beast Boy snapped their gazes to him. "What?" the empath said, disbelieving. She'd expected that any offer for help would be welcomed, not dismissed.

The man was a statue. "Rita does not need to be disturbed by a mere child who does not know what she is doing. _Some_ experience will not be helpful." He lifted his chin, peering down at Raven with icy eyes. "Furthermore, she does not need medical help. My wife is perfectly fine and needs only to rest before her certain recovery."

Raven clenched her teeth, anger rising in her stomach. Mento was oblivious to her internal wrath, blind to the battle she was fighting within herself, and continued to glare in the dark sorceress's direction. Raven felt her powers starting to surge, and she squeezed her eyes shut, transferring the magic to a tree further off and cracking the thick trunk in half. A distant crash was audible as it hit the ground, but, quieted beneath the sounds of jungle life, no one thought much of it. Mento should have been grateful for her self-control, but he felt it necessary to open his mouth once more since the girl in front of him appeared to be ignoring his words. "You do not need to go sticking your nose in where it does not belong, so go back to your friends, and leave all members of the Doom Patrol alone." The unspoken message that he was including Beast Boy rang in Raven's ears, and her hands started to glow.

Luckily for the Doom Patrol leader, Beast Boy recognized her incoming anger and hurriedly jumped in between his friend and adoptive father. His movement was enough to distract Raven for the precious moment necessary for the green boy to steer her away, and as he drove Raven back toward his tent, Beast Boy called over his shoulder. "Uh, yeah, okay Mento. We'll keep it in mind. Uh, gotta go! Thanks!" He and Raven disappeared inside the tan structure, leaving behind a muddled and rather miffed man. His displeasure was nothing compared to what Raven was experiencing.

The moment Mento vanished from Raven's sights, her mouth shot open. "Who does he think he is?!" she snapped, eyes glowing slits of white. Beast Boy feverishly hoped they would not duplicate and turn red.

The boy pushed her down into a seated position on his bed, trying to calm her down. "Rae, I'm sure he didn't mean it. He's just worried abou-."

Raven whirled on him, snarling. "He meant it. He meant every word!"

His throat dry, Beast Boy took a deep breath, pressing his hands on her shoulders so she wouldn't rise and fly outside to destroy his adoptive father. "Come on, Rae. He's like this! You know that! Calm down!"

The dark teenager's eyes flashed, her teeth baring, and for a terrifying moment Beast Boy thought he was going to have to deal with her wrathful side. Then air softly escaped her mouth, and Raven's powers diminished into their controlled state once again. The empath's shoulders loosened, and Beast Boy released them, relieved. Raven blinked several times, taking another breath, and set her indigo sights on her teammate. "We were trying to help."

Beast Boy ran a hand through his hair, hooking his other thumb on his belt. "Yeah, I know. But it's not possible to argue with him like that. Once he gets an idea in his head… Well, he can be as stubborn as Robin."

Raven was still cooling off. "I don't take kindly to threats."

"I'm sure he didn't mean it to sound like one!" Beast Boy protested, defending his adoptive father. It didn't make Raven feel any better. She adjusted her hood around her head, standing with her luggage in hand, and Beast Boy quickly pushed up off of his feet to join her.

"I'm sure," she grunted, walking toward the exit.

"Hey, wait! Wait, Rae!" Beast Boy grabbed her arm, stopping the empath. She snarled, a flicker of her inner anger on the surface, and faced the shape-shifter.

"What?"

"I-," Beast Boy rubbed the back of his head, shuffling his feet. "I'm sorry, okay? I can't control Mento. Just don't kill him, please? For me?"

Raven looked back with an impassive expression, though within her rage lessened. She pulled her arm back to her side out of Beast Boy's grasp and met his eyes. "I don't expect you to apologize for your father. He should be able to do that himself."


	4. Entities

**I think the last chapter caused the most hatred in reviews that I've ever had aimed at a character in a story! I appreciate how much you guys are getting into this.**

* * *

><p>"Mento?"<p>

Mento, Beast Boy, Robotman, and Cyborg were hiking through the rainforest together. As Mento had mentioned during the Titans' arrival, the Doom Patrol was in the jungle searching for any indication to the Brotherhood of Evil's next target. Mento had yet to give up this task despite Rita's condition and the fact that they were irrationally a continent's length away from the Brotherhood's last base in the Amazon, and therefore the small group was currently trekking through a section of forest not investigated by the older team. Cyborg had been chatting with Robotman when Mento announced the exploration, and the robotic teenager volunteered to take Negative Man's place so the two mechanical men could continue their talk. The bandaged Doom Patrol member gave an impassive response, and thus Cyborg joined Mento and Beast Boy. Only four were needed on the trip, and so the quartet of heroes had set off. At the moment, Cyborg and Robotman were talking a break from their chat, but it was a comfortable silence. Beast Boy was glad that some members of both teams were getting along. Little could be said for his other teammates, both old and new. Raven was meditating the last time Beast Boy saw her, and Starfire was calming Robin down about something or another in an absurdly small tent. He didn't know where Negative Man was.

The large leader in purple barely glanced at his adopted son, shoving a branch out of the way. "Yes, Beast Boy?"

Beast Boy hesitated a moment, deciding whether or not he really wanted to bring up the subject, and then gave in. "Uh, Raven was pretty mad."

"About what?"

The shape-shifter fidgeted, rubbing the back of his neck a moment before he had to duck under the same branch Mento moved seconds before, the limb swinging back for a vengeance. It snapped against Robotman's chest, but the metal man hardly noticed.

"The thing you said earlier about her healing, and us putting our noses in places," Beast Boy said. Pausing in mid-step, Cyborg tuned in an ear to Beast Boy's words, and Robotman watched uneasily. They continued walking.

"And this is my problem?"

"Err…" Beast Boy glanced at Mento's face; it was stony and held high. "I guess not… uh, Sir… But it can be kinda… bad… if you get her too angry."

The Doom Patrol leader directed the group around a fallen tree. Strange cracks split the base, almost as if lightning had struck it recently, and yet there were no signs of fire. Mento had no way of knowing that the very girl they were speaking about was the cause. He paused to examine it, crouching by the many splinters. "If she is as powerful as you describe her to be, and that same power is driven by her emotions, then she should be able to control them better." He stood, not waiting for the other three, and continued to stride through the jungle. Beast Boy hurried to catch up.

"She usually does! I don't know how you set her off so easily," he admitted. In the past, only Beast Boy had been able to cause Raven's anger to rise so fast. Mento must have set a new record. Behind them, Cyborg was stiffening.

Mento ignored the metallic Titan. "Some people aren't as good as they like to think they are."

"Or maybe it's 'cause you insulted her and gave us a ridiculously small tent," Cyborg muttered beneath his breath, gritting his teeth. Beast Boy's ears twitched, and he stopped short, turning to stare at the robotic teenager. Realizing that his smaller friend had heard him, Cyborg froze. Beast Boy's eyes were wide.

"Gave you a what?"

Cyborg's mouth dropped opened as if to answer him, but a thunderous crash interrupted the two friends. The group whirled toward it, recognizing that Mento had gone deeper into the rainforest without their knowing. Not hesitating a second more, Robotman, Cyborg, and Beast Boy sprinted around a heavy section of vegetation only to slow to a halt at the scene of Mento mentally firing upon a line of trees. Bark splintered and snapped as the trunks crashed to the ground, knocking down smaller saplings in the process. Several animals cried out, sending birds and rodents fleeing from the scene. Before anyone could say a word, Mento halted his attacks and then glanced at the heroes behind him.

He floated back to the forest floor with crossed arms. "And this is why you always stay close to me."

Staring in confusion at the toppled trees, Beast Boy massaged his shoulder. "Uh, Mento?" He gestured toward the mess behind the man. "What… was that?"

"Entities." Mento peered back at the destruction. "Angry invisible beings that were just about to sneak up on us."

"Uh, yeah, I was just gonna say that I didn't see anythin'," Cyborg interjected.

"My powers allow me to sense them," Mento countered stiffly. "Your technology wouldn't be able to pick them up. Only my helmet, the source of my mental abilities, can." Cyborg exchanged a glance with Robotman, wondering if the Doom Patrol had encountered such ghostly creatures before, but the orange robot just shrugged. Even Beast Boy appeared befuddled. Mento began moving again, away from the fallen trees. "I'm certain this is the Brotherhood of Evil's doing."

Cyborg stopped, squinting his human eye. "That makes no sense."

Mento ignored Cyborg, looking at just Robotman and Beast Boy. "Something set those entities off. The Brotherhood of Evil must have prepared them as a trap for us. Which one of you hit a tripwire?" The trio stared back at the man in disbelief. Robotman and Beast Boy faltered, knowing that if they refused the existence of any tripwire that Mento would think the Brotherhood of Evil had still been responsible even when it wasn't true.

Cyborg was unaware of this, but what he said next was almost worse than if he had claimed there was no tripwire to begin with. In truth, the Titan voiced the thoughts that Beast Boy and Robotman were unwilling to speak aloud. "The Brotherhood is in jail, man. I don't know how they could be responsible. And if anyone hit any tripwire, it was you. You were the one to go runnin' on ahead without us, remember?"

Mento's eyes flashed a dangerous blue glint, and he leaned in toward Cyborg. "Are you questioning me?"

Cyborg squared his shoulders, unflinching under Mento's icy glare. "Yeah, man, it's called usin' my head and not followin' you around like some mindless robot." He glanced over his shoulder at Robotman. "No offense."

Robotman tapped his head. "My mind is as human as yours is, so naw, none taken."

Mento had not let the subject go yet. "So you are telling me that my decisions as leader are not correct?" he questioned, voice low.

"Y'know, I wasn't," Cyborg stated, and a grin lifted up one side of his mouth. Beast Boy made a warning sound, but his friend disregarded it. "But now that you say it like that, yeah, that's exactly what I'm tellin' ya."

Robotman cleared his throat in a strange way that sounded like the grinding of metal. "Hey kid, I'll take any shot you got at me, but don't be goin' there. Mento knows what he's doin'." Beast Boy glanced nervously back and forth between the furious Mento and irate Cyborg, his heart pounding in his green ears. No matter how he looked at it, a fight was the only result he could see from their disagreement.

The tension was broken suddenly when Mento's head whipped up, focusing on something no one else could see. Without warning, a mental blast fired over Beast Boy's head, colliding with a large tree behind the boy. It fell slowly, hitting the ground with a heavy crunch, and sending dirt and leaves up everywhere. Mento started running.

"They're headed for the camp!"

A shot of adrenaline burned throughout Beast Boy's body and he took off sprinting, the thumping of footsteps indicating that the others had heard Mento as well and were right behind him.

* * *

><p>"Raven!"<p>

The empath's eyes snapped open at Robin's call, and she uncrossed her legs, floating down to the bed underneath. Robin stuck his head inside the tiny tent, radiating urgency. "Beast Boy just called on the communicator. He said that Mento sees angry entities headed for the camp."

Raven blinked. "Entities."

Robin shrugged and ducked out, waiting for Raven to follow. She exited, and the two jogged toward the ship where Elasti-girl was held. "I don't know much about magic," Robin continued, "but if there's danger, we have to keep Elasti-girl safe." Nodding, Raven slowed to a stop in front of the Doom Patrol's ship to find Starfire and Negative Man already there. Robin dipped his head at each of them and then looked to Raven again. "Can you sense where they are?"

"Cyborg and Beast Boy, or the entities?" Raven asked, still slightly skeptical at the aspect of angry ghosts attacking.

"Both."

Closing her eyes, Raven breathed out. Almost at once she felt Beast Boy, Cyborg, Robotman, and Mento moving through the trees. "The others are nearly here," the empath informed Robin.

"And the entities?"

She stretched out her senses, skimming over the forest floor for any unusual presences. Even if the phantoms were lifeless, Raven would detect their existence. Save for a few smaller life forms such as birds and little animals scurrying out of the way of the heroes running by, nothing out of the ordinary stuck out.

Raven looked at the others. "Nothing."

Starfire pressed her lips together in confusion, and Robin's mask tightened around his eyes. Before anyone could speak, however, the ground shook, and a large tree toppled over a few feet away, snapping the branches off of saplings as it crashed down. Another immense tree collapsed, falling with a deafening crack as the bark splintered and it dropped toward the ship.

Reacting first, Starfire shot up into the air and caught the tree so huge it could have been a building. The alien princess caught the trunk, dropping a few inches before stopping the tree in place. As she pushed forward with enormous strength, gritting her teeth, an explosion was heard, and two new trees fell. Raven froze the pair in place with her magic, straining to move the thick objects out of the way. The familiar crackling of more broken trees reached their ears, and Negative Man's dark projection disappeared into the jungle. Raven clenched her fists as she moved a heavy tree out of the way only to grab a different one with her powers. She had a hard time believing they were fighting trees. And not exactly winning.

Robin stood tense below her next to Negative Man's body as the bandaged man's projection flew about in the jungle. When another tree tipped over, barely caught by Starfire who had discarded the first one further away, Robin shouted up to them.

"I'm getting Elasti-girl out!" He knew a dangerous situation when he saw one. Raven and Starfire both responded with grunts, and their leader sprinted into the ship. Out of the corner of her eye, Raven saw a massive tree, similar in size to the very first, creak and tip over. She and Starfire looked at each other, realizing they had no more hands available. It passed between them, headed directly toward the airplane where Robin and Elasti-girl were inside. Firing her eyebolts, Starfire frantically tried to knock the tree to the side, but her green beams cut through the fragile, useless branches without affecting the trunk.

"Azarath Metrion Zinthos!" Raven chanted, her eyes glowing white with power, and the tree was encased in magic. The dark sorceress groaned as the excessive use of energy granted her a splitting headache, and the weight of the three objects proved too much. Refusing to release her hold, Raven only managed to slow its descent a little as the tree fell through the Doom Patrol's airship.

Confusion overtook the empath when the tree moved again a second later, but without her assistance. A colossal woman rose out of the plane, holding the trunk above her head. Gasping, Starfire threw her tree to the side with great effort -the object hitting the ground and shaking the earth- and she swooped down to take the burden from Rita. Able to focus with only two trees in her possession now, Raven managed to barely push her loads away before teleporting into the ship.

Raven emerged from her portal behind Robin who didn't even jump upon her sudden arrival. His eyes were fixated on the woman above as Starfire took the tree from Rita. The two Titans in the room exchanged glances and peered up again in time to see Elasti-girl pale, her eyes glazing over and foot sliding backwards, barely avoiding crushing the medical bed. She remained on her feet until she had diminished to her regular size, and then Rita's eyes rolled back in her head and she crumpled to the ground.

Raven and Robin were beside her in a heartbeat, and as Raven checked Elasti-girl's breathing and pulse, Robin snapped open his communicator. "We need everyone in the ship. Now." Without waiting for a response, he shut the device and looked to Raven. "How is she?"

Raven took a deep breath, her magic probing throughout Rita's body for any physical harm. "Her air intake is a little fast, as is her heart rate, but I think she's alright. She must be exhausted after using her powers in such a weakened state," the dark sorceress gathered. Robin nodded, double-checking the woman's pulse and reaching for an oxygen mask just in case. Yet, he had barely touched it when a choked gasp came from the doorway. Beast Boy stood frozen in the entrance, shaking. Starfire floated a few inches away from him with her hand hovering in the air as if trying to prevent him from entering the room.

"Mom?" the boy whispered, dropping to his mother's side. He bent over Rita, eyes glistening. "Mom," he swallowed, gripping her hand. "Mom?" If he was expecting an answer, Elasti-girl did not give him one. Tears prickled the edge of Beast Boy's eyes, and he faced Robin and Raven, liquid spilling over his cheeks. The empath caught herself before his emotions caused her to throat to tighten. She'd never seen him cry. No one had. Raven's powers told her Robin was having a similar problem to her own. "W-what happened?"

"That's what I want to know," Mento demanded, appearing in the doorway and pushing past the other heroes who had just arrived. Starfire's hand hovered over her mouth, eyes huge, and Negative Man stood next to her, stiff. Behind them, Cyborg and Robotman were in a state resembling Negative Man's. Mento wore a furious and somehow horrified expression as he roughly moved Raven and Robin away from his wife.

Raven let her leader explain for them. "Those apparitions you mentioned must have started knocking down trees. One fell onto the ship, and Elasti-girl had to use her powers. I think she pushed herself a little too hard."

"She's alright," Raven murmured, for Beast Boy to hear if no one else. His shoulders slumped, the boy's back to her.

Robin glanced at the group of heroes in the doorway. "What happened to the entities?"

"They disappeared," Robotman answered, his eyes focused entirely on the unconscious woman on the floor. Mento slipped his arms under his wife, placing her gently on the medical bed. His movement seemed to break the still spell that everyone else was under, and Starfire drew near to Robin's side while the Doom Patrol grouped around the bed, Beast Boy closest to his mother. Cyborg and Raven hovered somewhere in between their team and Mento's.

Relief suddenly brushed off of all those surrounding the bed, and in a gap between the heroes, Raven managed to catch a glance of Rita stirring. The woman opened her brown eyes, blinked several times, and realized that she was the center of attention. Elasti-girl cleared her throat. "Oh… Hello…"

Robotman and Negative Man murmured their own greetings to her, a large grin on Robotman's face and a comforted glow coming from Negative Man. Beast Boy squeezed his mother's hand, his cheeks wet, and bowed his head to the side of the bed. A silent sob shook his shoulders, and Rita ran her thumb over the green boy's fingers soothingly.

Mento watched his wife in silence, relief clear in his expression. However, the look disappeared without warning when he whirled around to face the watching Titans. "This is your fault," he growled, glaring at Cyborg with a dangerous flash in his eye. "One of you tripped a wire to make those entities appear, and I think I know who it was."

The Titans stared at the older man in surprise, and then, stepping up to Mento, Cyborg clenched his fists. "Okay, that's it man!" he snapped, cutting the air with his hand. "You tripped up _somethin'_ and made this happen! If you weren't so obsessed with the Brotherhood of Evil, this wouldn't have happened! You wouldn't have triggered all the supposed 'ghosts' if you hadn't been wanderin' around lookin' for somethin' that's not there! You can't blame the rest of us when it's your fault!"

Robin interrupted, his mask narrow. "He's blaming you for this?"

"Yeah!"

The Titan leader's jaw clenched, his voice dangerously low. "_What_?"

Mento crossed his arms, scowling at the younger generation. "As leader of the Doom Patrol, I know who is responsible for these mistakes!"

Robin wasn't having any of what Mento was saying. He stepped up beside Cyborg, spine straight. "And as leader of Titans, I know that when it's the leader's fault, he should take responsibility for what he's done and not pin it on others!"

"I pin blame where it is due!" Mento retorted, gesturing toward an irate Cyborg. "And he's not the only one guilty here! How is it that you Titans supposedly fight crime for a living when you can't even stop a few trees from falling?!" he roared.

"Did you not say they were knocked over by the 'ghosts'?" Starfire questioned timidly, holding her hands together. "But Raven mentioned she had not sensed any other presences save our own."

Raven watched the scene, silent. Anger bounced off of everyone engaged in the dispute, occasionally dipping for a moment to allow a sliver of some other emotion such as distress or fear to be known before the feeling was suppressed by fury again. Mento was the most livid, his aggravation burning into the empath. She looked at him through half-lowered eyelids. Buried beneath his rage and infuriation was another reaction, but what Raven sensed wasn't an emotion. The feeling lurked inside of the man for a few seconds, unnamed and unknown, before it faded.

Cyborg jumped back into the argument, glaring. "Mento was firin' at the ghosts as we ran here." All eyes turned on Mento, but the leader didn't even flinch, remaining upright.

"I was trying to prevent the entities from reaching the ship. If a few trees fell over, I expected you to be able to take care of it."

Robin's voice was dangerously soft. "So whose fault was it really for those trees falling on the plane?"

Mento's nostrils flared, and he snapped. "I have had it with you Titans! Get out!"

"_What?"_ Robin hissed. Behind them, Starfire inhaled, and even the rest of the Doom Patrol looked surprised.

"Get. Out." Mento repeated himself, leaning closer to Robin. "Leave."

There was a silence. Then Robin, turning away from Mento, uttered, "Fine. Come on, Beast Boy."

Beast Boy lifted his head from the bed, eyes red from crying. "W-what? B-but-, I-I don't-."

"You're a part of our team." Robin walked over to his younger teammate, touching his shoulder. Helping Beast Boy to his feet, the spikey-haired leader motioned toward Mento. "Do you really want to be with this patrol where you have no voice?"

Mento stepped in between the two, shaking his head. "Our team needs you, Beast Boy. Your _mother_ needs you." Beast Boy softened a little, his eyes distant, but they sharpened at Mento's next words. "Are you planning on abandoning us? You are a coward, running from the team again."

"I'm not a coward," Beast Boy mumbled, his gaze downcast.

"Running away is an act of cowardice, and that's exactly what you did last time to the Doom Patrol." He placed a hand against his chest. "How do you think that made us feel? How your mother felt?!"

"You weren't letting me be!" Beast Boy cried, startling everyone. That's why I left, Mento! You were too demanding and stubborn and nasty with your attitude! I had to find my own way! I had to make my own choices!"

Mento stared at his adopted son, and then the man's expression hardened. "If you had been there when this started, then maybe Rita wouldn't be sick," he said slowly. "She wouldn't be in here."

Beast Boy's ears lowered, his mouth open. Starfire murmured quietly, "You were there, were you not?"

A few eyes turned to the alien princess, and Robin was right there to support her. "Yes, that's right. Why couldn't _you_ have protected her, Mento? Why is it always someone else's fault?" Mento set his shoulders, facing the Titans furiously as Robin continued. "Beast Boy belongs with us, not some place where he can't make his own decisions. As he said, there was a reason he left, and I don't know why he would still want to stay after you-."

Beast Boy whipped toward Robin, clenching his fingers into fists. "Stop it! Don't gang up on me! Will you stop telling me what to do?!" His voice rose with the whine in his voice, and he was nearly screaming. "I don't know, I don't _know! _I can't think!" He ran past them, slamming the door shut behind him. His footsteps echoed down the hallway, and Rita gave a quiet groan, the increasing noise having affected her enough for a headache. Mento checked on his wife, setting up the heart monitor and oxygen mask, and the teams exchanged glances, some bitter, some not.

"So…," Cyborg ran his hand over his head, "which one of ya'll do you send to calm BB down when he's upset like this?"

Negative Man nodded at the bed. "That would be Elasti-girl." The silence returned, filled with only the beep of the heart monitor that reminded everyone of Rita's condition, and thus her inability to fulfill the task. "Who do you send?"

In sync, the Titans faced Raven, and the empath, scanning her viewers, lifted an eyebrow. "And you two are alright with it?" she asked, addressing Robotman and Negative Man. The bandaged Doom Patrol member provided no response, but his emotions matched Robotman's who was nodding. Dipping her head, Raven slipped out the door to find Beast Boy, and Robin faced the remaining heroes inside the room.

"I… suppose we have some apologizing to do."

* * *

><p><strong>Before Mento gets more hate -which he's practically asking for- he isn't just being a jerk. Well, he is, but there's a reason.<strong>


End file.
